Presentation of the “Affirming Dignity” campaign and viewing of the video of ADF International José Miguel Serrano Ruiz-Calderón, Accredited Full Professor in Philosophy of Law, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)

10:45 Roundtable 2: First-hand Experience after Legalizing Euthanasia. What the law promised compared to reality: The abuses of its implementation.

13:30 Roundtable 3: Confronting the “Culture of Waste”: the Cases of France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom

Moderated by Mónica López Barahona, President of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation Spain (Spain)

Juliet Marlow,Media and Communications, Not Dead Yet UK (UK) Luca Volonté, Founder of Novae Terrae Foundation, Former President of the EPP Group in the Council of Europe (Italy) Caroline Roux, Director, VITA International (France) Carlos Salvador, Member of the Spanish Parliament for Navarra (UPN) (Spain)

15:00 Roundtable 4: Does Good Palliative Care Make Euthanasia Obsolete? Measures that the Law Must Provide.When it’s no longer possible to

cure, it’s still necessary to care for. Protecting the life of handicapped and non-terminally ill, and conscientious objection. Moderated by Jacinto Bátiz, M.D., Head of the Area of Palliative Care, San Juan de Dios de Santurtzi Hospital, Secretary of the Central Commission of

In the last years we have seen another expression of the “culture of waste” in the legalization of euthanasia or assisted suicide in certain countries. Today, assisted suicide and euthanasia are legal in the Netherlands (2002), Luxembourg (2009), and Canada (2016), Belgium (2002) and Colombia (2015) have legalized euthanasia. Switzerland (1942), Germany (2015), the US States of California, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana, Colorado, and the District of Columbia have all legalized assisted suicide, Mexico (2008) and Uruguay (2009) have passed laws that allow stopping life-extending medical treatment of terminally ill patients. In the case of Uruguay this faculty is extended to the spouse or family member when the patient is no longer capable of making his or her own medical decisions. In Finland, Spain, Portugal, and Italy the issue is gaining ground within the parliaments of each country.

But far from closely regulating extreme cases of terminally ill patients under strict guidelines, these laws have opened the door for otherpatients not contemplated under the letter of the law to request and obtain a “right to die”. In Belgium (2014) the law has been extended to children with terminal illnesses. Experts from the above mentioned countries explain that “[t]he euthanasia law never comes alone; it will create in its turn its own dynamics; it will ask for a further liberalization of the practice” and that “[t] he supply of euthanasia stirs demand, and becomes the default way to die.

”The real problem is that “[t]he law has the effect of not offering people enough life support.”

Confronted with this scenario and the imminence of parliamentary debates in certain countries, we organized, together with other institutions, the “International Seminar: Palliative and Social Care vs. Euthanasia” that took place in the Congress of Deputies of Spain in Madrid on 26 January 2018. The event brought together politicians, legislators, experts and civil society from over 10 countries to discuss this pressing challenge of our time, and was streamed by thousands of viewers who connected to the English and Spanish channel in Europe, the Americas, and beyond.

We are happy to share the key legislative points that should be included in any legislation on palliative and end-of-life care, the press release and media impact of the International Seminar. We hope these tools will be helpful in your work!